Some Scenery

Thought I would post some of my works since this is what the blog is all about.

Empire Watchtower

Stables with horse

Town Center Fountain with running water



The Inn

Hovel

I'll post the how-to's at a later date.

Tip of the Month

When looking for materials to use, discarded items are an easy one.  But sometimes, you need that certain look or have a particular theme in mind.  The best place to look is the fish department at the pet store.  You can get some really cool items for really cheap.

I needed some weathered pillars for some desert themed terrain.  Pow!  Three pillars for less than $3, stick on a base, and paint and you're done.

For a display board for GW's Tomb Kings, I found this little gem.  Cost me less than $2.00 and fit right in with the theme.  Only used one since I would make the other statue destroyed, which carries over the theme of a buried ancient army.

There are other places to get some cool terrain.  Yard sales, discount stores, and other places.

Found this well for making missions the kids do for school.  Add a little foamboard, sand, and paint, you get a great piece for a medieval town.

Till next time,  TTFN!

Tip of the Month

Today we have an easy one for you.  When putting together your scenery, whether its a building or jungle, you need a way to clamp things together.  The easiest (and cheapest) is to use clothes pins.  Now most get the plastic kind but the old wood ones are better and I'll show you how.

First, buy a pack of the wood ones like this.  They usually come in large packs and come in under a $1.

Now that you have a handful of them, the next step is to take them apart.  Easy enough.

Now for the last step.  Put the clothes pin back together, but with the wood pieces reversed.  The spring should go into position like the in the picture below; the clamping area is now the flat pieces opposite the spring.

This is perfect for keeping two flat pieces together while gluing as the clothes pin now has extra tension and surface area.  See you next month!

Been busy with BIG scenery

New posts haven't been made since I've been working on a BIG scenery project that will hopefully be finished sometime in February.

Here's an idea of what I'm building (with help of course):

2011!!

Happy New Year to all!!

May the new year be better for everyone!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Mery Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone out there!

See you next year.

Tip of the Month

Every month, I'll give an easy tip for you fellow scenery builders.  This may be something that everyone knows or something completely new (remember, there are still a lot of beginners out there).

This month is about glue.  "That's an easy one", you say?  Most people use the old standby: white glue.  But there are other alternatives out there.  Lets have a look, shall we.



WHITE GLUE

This is the most common glue.  Every school kid uses it for all their craft stuff, so why not us?  White glue is good:  its easy to apply, dries clear, and gives a good bond on any porous surface.  It also is easy to dilute with water for bigger applications.
The drawback:  its a bit runny and takes a while to dry completely.  If the surface is dry, the inner layers may still be wet, so wait at least 24 hours for a complete cure, especially on thick applications.  If there are dribbles on your surface, it will not accept paint.



SUPER GLUE

Super glue/crazy glue/Cyanoacrylate.  Whatever you call it, this glue is good for keeping non-porous items together.  Works on plastic, resin, and body parts.  Can be sanded down like resin if there is too much on the surface.  Accepts paint very well. 
Cons:  Only good for spot applications.  A small building is fine; an entire model city with skyscrapers and the price can become excessive.  Does not work well on wood or paper based products as the liquid from the glue is absorbed into the material.


PLASTIC CEMENT



Just like the name says, its good for plastic.  It works by melting the plastic on both pieces and re-solidifies creating a strong bond.  But won't work on any other surface, including resin (it may work on some resins, but does not give a strong bond).  Easy to use but don't use too much.  A little goes a long way.  Just put a little bit on one piece and on the other piece.  Press together for about 20 seconds.  Will cure in about four hours with a very strong bond.  As with with white glue, any dribbles on the surface will not accept paint so you have to file or sand it off before hand.



WOOD/CARPENTER'S GLUE

This is almost like white glue, but used primarily for wood (as the name implies).  Easy to use as its thicker than white glue but dries in less time.  This is the best to used with foam board, balsa wood (or any type of wood), sand, foam, and just about anything else (except plastics).  This is the main type of glue that I use and prefer.  Gives a strong bond with foam board, won't warp any wood that you are using, and can be diluted with water for larger applications.  I usually use this when basing my game boards.  Just water down, use a big brush to spread, add sand, let dry.  That's it.
The drawback:  like white glue, it does not accept paint well (primers work on it) and does not dry clear.

There are other glues out there that I may not have covered: tacky glue, spray adhesives, hot glue, etc.  These are useful but I have found them to be limited in usage when building scenery.  Many of the above glues will last (even extended) for a long time so it doesn't hit your wallet too hard.

As you can see, I prefer using wood glue in most of my scenery builds for the walls, basing, and filling gaps as well.